1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal device, a manufacturing method thereof, and an electronic device including the liquid crystal device.
2. Related Art
Electro-optical devices such as a liquid crystal device are employed in color image display units of electronic devices such as a projector and a viewfinder of a digital camera. Recently, reflective liquid crystal devices have come to be focused on, because of their merits such as saving power by utilizing external light, and higher image quality due to reduced gaps between pixels.
The reflective liquid crystal device includes, for example as disclosed in JP-A-2005-156796, an element substrate with a display element region formed on a surface thereof, the display element region including a driver circuit and a reflective electrode superposed on the driver circuit; a counter substrate disposed so as to oppose the surface of the element substrate with the display element region, and having a transparent electrode formed on a surface opposing the element substrate; and liquid crystal tightly enclosed between the substrates.
A process of manufacturing the reflective liquid crystal device includes superposing a plurality of driver circuits and reflective electrodes on a mother substrate constituted of monocrystalline silicon, glass, or the like, arranging a seal member around the display element region, bonding the counter substrate to the mother substrate by means of the seal member, and cutting the bonded substrates into individual liquid crystal devices.
According to a technique disclosed in JP-A-2005-156796, a part of the reflective electrode of each liquid crystal device extends to the cutting line on the mother substrate, and the seal member is applied so as to project to the cutting line on the mother substrate along the extending portion of the reflective electrode, so that the liquid crystal can be injected after the cutting process.
The liquid crystal devices, which have been subjected to the cutting process, each include a liquid crystal inlet that is open at the extending portion of the reflective electrode, and the liquid crystal device is completed upon injecting the liquid crystal through the opening and tightly sealing the liquid crystal device with the seal member.
However, with the recent reduction in size of electronic devices such as a projector, reflective liquid crystal devices are also being made smaller in size and with a higher level of integration, to such an extent that the driver circuit is formed at a position right under the region where the reflective electrode extends.
By the manufacturing method according to JP-A-2005-156796, however, since the seal member is disposed so as to project to the cutting line on the mother substrate along the extending portion of the reflective electrode, the seal member is also cut at a position corresponding to the opening for injecting the liquid crystal therethrough, and in this process the driver circuit superposed on the reflective electrode may also be drawn together with the reflective electrode, and be thus damaged.